German prosecutors release collector's art

Published December 03, 2015

Nov. 4, 2013: In this file photo cars are parked outside the apartment building in Munich, Germany, where more than 1,400 artworks were found in the apartment of collector Cornelius Gurlitt. (AP/dpa)

German prosecutors say they have released more than 1,000 artworks found at the Munich apartment of a reclusive collector, shortly after he agreed to cooperate with determining which pieces were seized by the Nazis.

Officials seized some 1,400 items, including 1,280 artworks, from Cornelius Gurlitt's apartment in 2012 while investigating a tax case. Gurlitt appealed the seizure.

Augsburg prosecutor Matthias Nickolai said in a statement Wednesday that the decision was made after prosecutors re-evaluated the legal situation. However, they didn't close the tax case against Gurlitt, the son of a Nazi-era art dealer.

On Monday, Gurlitt agreed to cooperate with the German government in researching the works' past. Authorities said works whose Nazi-era history is being checked will remain in custody.

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